Sunbathing
by mysid
Summary: James is curious about Sirius's taste in men.


Disclaimer: James and Sirius both belong to J.K. Rowling.

**Sunbathing**

James quickly dried off and lay down on the blanket on the grassy edge of the pond. The summer day was warm enough for lying out in one's bathing suit—as long as one stayed in the sun and down close to the ground and out of the cool breeze. He and his friends had once gone skinny-dipping in this pond a short hike from his house, but that had been an impulsive spur of the moment decision to go swimming. A bathing suit had seemed required today, partially because he and Sirius had come down to the pond specifically to swim, and partially because of Sirius's recent disclosure.

Not that his bathing trunks really provided much coverage, just those few bits that society deemed off-limits to public view—bits that previous sightings in the dorm could easily fill in—but the idea of deliberately being nude around Sirius somehow seemed wrong. Deliberately avoiding it seemed somehow wrong too, but in a different way. James was trying to settle for a course of avoiding it when convenient and trying not to care when it wasn't convenient.

"Water too cold for you, Jamesy?" Sirius called from the pond.

"Nah—just decided to work on my tan," he called back.

He heard Sirius come splashing out of the water and settle near him on the large blanket. James opened one eye and saw Sirius sitting up, arms around his knees. Sirius had been looking back at him but averted his gaze to stare out at the water when James looked at him.

"You would have gotten a much better tan in Spain," Sirius said. "You should have gone." 

The Potters had been thinking of travelling to Spain this summer, but when Sirius had come to live with them, the idea had been forgotten. Sirius was underage and needed his parents' permission to use an international portkey, permission he was not likely to receive. The Potters had simply abandoned the idea of their trip and announced, "There are plenty of sights to see right here in Britain."

"Visiting Merlin's cave last week was pretty amazing," James pointed out.

"You could have gone there anytime."

"And we can go to Spain next year when you're seventeen." James opened his eyes to peer at his friend and judge how deep his scowl was this time. He saw Sirius quickly avert his gaze and look out at the water again.

"Stop staring at me, Sirius," James said with an amused grin as he closed his eyes again.

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter."

"How do I measure up?"

"I wasn't staring at you; trust me."

James opened his eyes and turned toward Sirius, propping his head up on his hand. "I'm serious. How do I measure up? I mean, when girls look at me, I want to know how I measure up against other blokes; not-bad, fair, kind of cute, uglier than a goblin. And I can't ask a girl, but you like blokes, so I can ask you."

Sirius shook his head with a smile. "You're weird, Potter."

"Come on; tell me."

"First of all, no two girls have exactly the same taste in men, so why do you think I'd be able to tell you what Evans is likely to think? And yes, I know it's Evans's opinion that counts."

"But you could give me _some_ idea. I mean, there are certain generalities or universals of what's considered good-looking."

"And you know them as well as I do. You don't need me to tell you most girls would choose you over Peter—or me over you," he added with a grin.

"And you don't want them, so all the more for me." James grinned back.

Sirius reached for his t-shirt and pulled it on. "I bet it's warmer in Spain."

"Evans told Moony that she was going to Majorca for a few weeks this summer."

"Must be nice."

"I bet she comes home with freckles."

"I won't bet against it. Did you ever notice that Moony gets freckles during the summer too? Not as much as Evans or Prewitt, but..."

The combination of a cloud blocking the sun and a cool breeze sent James reaching for his own t-shirt. After pulling it on, he remained sitting up beside Sirius who was still looking out at the water. 

"You still haven't told me how I rate," James said as he nudged Sirius's shoulder with his own.

"You flirting with me, Potter?" Sirius cocked his head and asked.

"No—what—God, no."

"Good. I doubt Remus and Peter would appreciate it if they had to share a dormitory with a 'couple'."

"When do you think you'll tell them?"

Sirius shrugged. "Sometime after we go back to school. I can't wait too long, or they might hear it second-hand from Regulus."

James nodded. The sun felt warm on his dark blue t-shirt. He lay back again to bask in the sun.

"You're built like a Quidditch player," Sirius said suddenly. "Scrawny legs but your top half isn't bad. You've got some muscle on you there."

"So you like muscles, huh? What's your ideal guy look like, rippling with muscles? Do you lust after bodybuilders?" James kept his eyes closed as he asked. He sensed that Sirius was finding this easier to discuss if they weren't looking at each other.

"No," Sirius said emphatically. "I see someone like that, and all I can think is how much time and effort he must have put into trying to look like that. Seems narcissistic if you ask me."

"So what do you like? Maybe I can help you find someone."

Sirius laughed. "Please don't. I'd rather leave my love life in my own hands, thank you. Given how successful you've been with Evans, I'm pretty sure you'd just bollocks things up for me."

"OK, you like them scrawny instead of muscley. Dark hair, blond hair?"

"_James_," Sirius whined. Then he sighed. "Fine, you won't drop it. I _know_ you. Not scrawny either. You know, in between, athletic. Muscle from doing stuff, not muscle for muscle's sake. You know who's gorgeous?"

James had to open his eyes for this. "Who?"

"Michelangelo's David."

"What?"

"It's a statue in Florence—"

"I know what it is. _You_ lust after a statue, and you call _me_ weird."

"It worked for Pygmalion, and I never said I lusted after it. I'm just trying to explain what I think an ideal male body looks like. If you want to get Evans all hot and bothered over your gorgeous body, _that's_ the ideal to try for."

"You like broad shoulders and a tiny willy."

Sirius chuckled. "He is a bit skimpy, isn't he?"

"But what about at school?" James asked as he propped his head up on his hand again. "Who do you think is good looking at school?"

"Don't even think of playing matchmaker."

"I won't. I'm just curious."

"I don't know," Sirius said as he ducked his head and then looked off to the side away from James's gaze. "They're straight so it doesn't really matter."

"Forget who's straight or gay. Availability is irrelevant. Just name five guys you think are good-looking—besides me, of course."

"Of course."

Sirius was silent a bit too long, so James prodded again. "I'll go first. Five girls: Lily, of course, and Vivian is cute. Meg Stewart is drop-dead gorgeous."

"And completely unavailable."

"Availability is irrelevant, remember? That blonde Ravenclaw, Meredith, she's pretty. And last, but not least, Jones in Hufflepuff."

"I knew you'd slip in at least one Quidditch player."

"Your turn."

"This is stupid."

"Your turn."

"All right, but this is just between us; you can't tell _anyone_. It would be too embarrassing for them and for me. Sirius took a deep breath before announcing, "Sebastain Bones for one, and Danny Murphy for another."

"OK, I can see that. You have good taste so far."

"Prewitt's kind of cute, but his eyelashes are too pale."

James laughed. "Picky, aren't you."

"It makes his eyes look strange. Professor Grianan." At James's amazed look, Sirius added, "You said 'at school'; you didn't say it had to be a student."

"Interesting. No wonder you took such an interest in Defence last term."

"My interest in Defence is because I want to be an auror."

"One more."

"No, that's enough to keep you amused at my expense for awhile. As it is, I won't dare get a detention in Grianan's class for all of first term for fear of you making something of it."

"No, no, one more," James wheedled. "That was the deal."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll tell people all about your Italian boyfriend, David. 'He's very fair, has curly hair, and Sirius says his willy is skimpy.'"

"Bastard." Sirius looked out at the water again and began to chew on his bottom lip. "OK, but remember, this doesn't _mean_ anything. It's just who I think is good-looking." James nodded. "Remus."

"Remus? _Our_ Remus?"

"No, one of the _other_ Remuses at school," Sirius said sarcastically. "It is _such_ a common name."

"But Remus is so—"

"What?" Sirius asked challengingly.

"Ordinary," James said with a shrug. "I can see what you mean about Bones and Murphy, but Remus is just an average bloke."

Sirius suddenly grinned. "Remus would probably laugh himself silly to hear you call him 'average' and 'ordinary'."

"True," James grinned back and closed his eyes to bask in the sunshine again.

"But he has nice eyes," Sirius said quietly. "Expressive. And his scars are—I don't know, but I like them."

"He doesn't," James pointed out.

"I know." Sirius suddenly punched James in the shoulder.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"_That_ was to remind you that you promised not to tell anyone. If you even breathe one word of this conversation to Moony, I promise to pound you to within an inch of your pathetic life."

"I won't; I'm not that stupid." James closed his eyes again. He heard Sirius lie down on the blanket. "But it's too bad Moony isn't gay. It would be fun to play matchmaker between Moony and someone who thinks his eyes are 'expressive'."

"James," Sirius said in a warning tone.

"No, really," James said as he turned to face Sirius again. "The whole werewolf thing is bound to scare off most girls. But you don't care."

"But he isn't gay, so drop it."

"He might be. Maybe he just hasn't told us yet."

"He isn't. Life rarely works out that neatly."

_—Written July 2005_


End file.
